Saturday, December 25, 2010

Christmas Morning and The Crustless Quiche


The Ideal Christmas Morning:
Waking up early, full of excitement for the day to begin. Running downstairs to be with family and opening presents in front of the toasty fireplace. Holiday smells and warmth from the kitchen permeating every room.

Yep, that's how the movies always show it, so why can't I have a little part of it?

I woke up Christmas morning knowing I was headed off to work in a few hours. But I made the most of the few hours I had. I was an inventor and creative mind this morning, concocting the most delicious quiche (if I do say so myself), which made me feel super productive. But then again, what doesn't taste good with bacon, cheese, and eggs? Happy holidays!

The Crustless Quiche

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, diced
1 roma tomato, diced
3 strips of cooked bacon, roughly crumbled
5 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cup cheese (I used a mixture of Parmesan and Cheddar)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
  1. Preheat oven 350 degrees F. Grease a muffin tin pan. (Make sure to grease sides and bottoms!)
  2. Heat oil in saute pan. Toss in diced onions and cook until onions are soft and translucent. (My onions ended up a bit charred- result of too little oil and too much heat too fast, but it was fine nonetheless). Toss in tomatoes, and cook until moisture is gone. Add a 1/4 tsp salt, or to taste. Remove mixture from heat.
  3. Season beaten eggs with a dash of salt and pepper. Add in onions, tomatoes, bacon, and cheese. Stir until combined.
  4. Pour mixture into muffin tins, filling each muffin tin until 2/3 full.
  5. Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes.

Annual White Elephant Gift Exchange and Stuffed Mushrooms

We had our annual (second time) white elephant at our house a few days ago. The prerequisite for the party was to bring a wrapped gift and some kind of hor d'oeuvres. Besides being a French word I can never spell (thank you, Google!), hor d'oeuvres means appetizer-type foods. At first, I was afraid that we wouldn't have enough food at the party. However, as it always turns out at potlucks, there is too much! We had a varied and very pretty table spread. Also, there were lots of first-time recipes, which contributed to the fun!

Menu:

  1. Spinach and Cheese Pinwheels (Tiff)
  2. Green Onion Pancakes (Aud)
  3. Stuffed Mushrooms with Cream Cheese Filling (Lydia- recipe below)
  4. Baguettes Topped with Cream Cheese Filling (Lydia- I made way too much filling!)
  5. Lettuce Wraps (Mom)
  6. Potstickers (Rich)
  7. Muddy Buddy (Mare and Glo)
  8. Cream Puffs (Mare)
  9. Chicken Meatballs (Cass)
  10. McDonald's Chicken Nuggets (Mols)
  11. Punch (Ann and Ben)
I have made stuffed mushrooms in the past, but this time I used a new recipe. I modified it a bit, and it was a great hit! I made too much filling, so I have cut down the filling to fit about 30 small white mushrooms. 


Stuffed Mushrooms 

25 whole fresh mushrooms 
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/3 cup chopped crab meat (I used imitation crab meat because I had that on hand)
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened 
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Grated Parmesan cheese, for sprinkling
Black pepper and salt, to taste
Cayenne pepper, to taste

Directions 
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
  2. Wash mushrooms and twist off stems. Drain mushrooms and dry on paper towel. Arrange mushroom caps on greased baking sheet. Remove woody part of stems and chop rest of stems finely. 
  3. Heat oil in pan, and add garlic and mushroom stems. Cook until moisture is gone. Remove mixture, and cool until warm (no longer hot). 
  4. Mix together cream cheese, mushroom and garlic mixture, crab meat, Parmesan cheese, black pepper, salt, and cayenne pepper in bowl. 
  5. Put cream cheese mixture into large ziplock bag, snip off corner, and pipe mixture into mushroom caps. Top each mushroom with extra Parmesan cheese.  
  6. Bake mushrooms in oven for 20 minutes, until mushrooms release their juices. 
Stuffed Mushrooms

more 'shrooms

Baguettes with Cream Cheese Spread

Who's dat blocking all the food? :)


Our Abundant Feast!

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Movies with the 'Rents and Sugar Coated Pecans

Saw Tangled with Yannie (ten going on eleven years old!). Loved it. LOVED it. I totally want to see it again! My parents saw Tron instead (didn't like the fluffy Disney animated films).

So far, pretty relaxing winter break. Doing some reading: finished Les Mis for the second time in a day. I start with the intent of savoring Hugo's work, instead I get absorbed into the plot and zoom through. Didn't quite read morning till night, but close. Currently reading, and about to finish, The Memory Keeper's Daughter. It's a good read thus far, I enjoy it.

Finally tried this Sugar Coated Pecan recipe while Angela was at my house this weekend! I can't believe I waited this long. It's ridiculously easy and produces a delicious snack (while reading, of course)! Plus, it makes the whole house warm and smell like cinnamon. I made 2 batches. First time, I followed the recipe with previous bakers' modifications. My parents verdict: delicious, but too sweet. Second time, I added my pecans, and kept the sugar mixture the same. Here is it!

Sugar Coated Pecans (with my modifications)

3 egg whites
2 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp water
2 lbs whole pecans
1 1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
  1. Beat egg whites with vanilla and water until foamy. Add pecans and thoroughly coat.
  2. Combine sugar, salt, and cinnamon in separate bowl. Then add the sugar mixture in parts to pecans. Thoroughly coat pecans with each addition of sugar.
  3. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Cover 2 baking sheets with aluminum foil and grease foil.
  4. Spread pecan pieces evenly on baking sheets. Bake for 1 hour, stirring nuts every 15 minutes.
I got lazy the second time and stirred the nuts only twice before taking them out of the oven. Turned out fine. The foil is a must, saves you from having to scrub the dried sugar crust off your baking pans! This makes quite a bit of pecans... but they keep well in airtight containers, plus they make great gifts! Costco sells 2 lb. bags of pecans for about 10 bucks... it's totally worth it!

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Comfort Food: Coconut Curry

Decided to add a foodie post to the emo one (See: Standing at the Edge). This is definitely one of my go-to recipes when I crave good home-cooked food, but am short on time. Plus, this makes lots of leftovers, so perfect for the school week!

Coconut Chicken Curry

2 chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch chunks (I use two of the large, frozen ones from Costco)
Splash of cooking wine
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 1/2 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tbsp curry
1 onion, thinly sliced
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups peeled, cubed potatoes and/or carrots (1 inch chunks)
1 (14 oz.) can coconut milk
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce (optional)
Sugar and salt, to taste

Directions:

  1. Season chicken pieces with cooking wine, salt, and pepper. 
  2. Heat oil and curry powder in large pot. Be careful to not burn the curry! Add more oil if necessary, to prevent burning. Add onions and garlic, and cook until onions are translucent. 
  3. Add chicken, stirring chicken to coat each piece with curry oil. Cook until chicken is white on the outside. 
  4. Add potatoes and carrots, coconut milk, diced tomatoes with juice, and tomato sauce (if using) to pot. Stir to combine. Partially cover pot and simmer on medium heat, stir occasionally (especially if using stainless steel pot), for 45-60 minutes, or until curry thickens. Add sugar and salt, to taste

The first few times I majorly burned the curry oil (second step), because I was heating the oil and curry while cutting and prepping all the other ingredients. The curry turned black and I had to completely start over! To avoid this, prep everything (cut chicken and season, cut potatoes/carrots, open cans) before starting to cook. Watch the pot, and add more oil if necessary! Also, I have left the tomato sauce as optional. I use it when I have it on hand, but I feel the curry is delicious even without.

Monday, November 22, 2010

Frozen Seattle

We're not quite used to snow in Seattle, definitely not snow before Thanksgiving hits! I think I can classify today as a mini-blizzard. Constant snow falling (and actually sticking!) and freezing, swirling winds that immediately numb your extremities and face. I thought I was prepared stepping out this morning with leggings under jeans and my ski jacket on over a sweatshirt, but as the day progressed, the temperature dropped and dropped. The ice cold snow hits your face with wind blasts. The roads became slicker and icier in the afternoon and evening. My friends and I were slipping and sliding along as we walked to dinner tonight. As I bussed home tonight, I saw several cars stuck in the snow and ice in the middle of the road. People had to congregate and push cars to the side of the road. There were also cars sliding into each other. I was very blessed that my bus actually made it to my stop without too much trouble and within an hour. 








My shoes actually sink into the powdery snow in front of my house. 
This is the most snow I have seen accumulate for a long time! 


Apple Crisp-y

I can cross off one item off my baking list! I made apple crisp last week with leftover apples that have been sitting in my fridge. It's one of the easiest desserts to make and it still garners lots of "oohs" and "ahhs." Basically, it's as delicious as apple pie with half the work! I used to make apple crisps with my parents back at home home (that is, Vancouver). My dad can't pronounce "crisp", he always ends up saying "apple crispy." While these apples burnt till crispy, they're still pretty darn good!

Apple Crisp

6 apples, cored and thinly sliced
1 cup granulated, white sugar
1 tbsp. flour
1 tsp. cinnamon

2 cup quick-cooking oats
2 cup flour
2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup butter, softened

  1. Mix white sugar, 1 tbsp. flour, and cinnamon together in a large bowl. Add apple slices and toss well until apples are coated in sugar mixture.
  2. Combine oats, remaining flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Cut softened butter into oat mixture. Mixture should be crumbly (not doughy). 
  3. Spray cooking spray on bottom and sides of 9x13 pan. Sprinkle half of oat mixture into pan. Place apples on top, and then sprinkle the rest of the oat mixture on top of the apples. 
  4. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes. 
I used a mixture of Fuji, Granny Smith, Gala apples, even a Red Delicious. Granny Smiths are perfect baking apples that don't turn out too soggy, while other types of apples can add more sweetness or tartness. I didn't bother peeling the skins of the apples, and no one will notice once baked in a crisp. In fact, I actually think leaving the apple skin adds a nice bit of color to the dessert! I don't peel apple skins when I make apple pie either, and the red and greens make quite a pretty display. 

I have to admit, I forgot the butter when making my oat mixture. It wasn't till I had completely assembled the crisp (all 3 layers) that I remember omitting butter! So I hurriedly melted my butter and drizzled it on top, and the crisp still turned out fine! There were a couple of dry, sandy regions, but they were hardly noticeable. But be warned, don't forget the butter! I was in too much of a hurry and too excited to get the crisp into the oven!

Friday, November 19, 2010

Din Tai Fung @ Bellevue

The anticipation for Din Tai Fung in the Seattle area was... off-the-charts. The only way to understand it is if you're Asian, and know how much Asian people like their food! The news of the opening of the restaurant spread by word-of-mouth like wildfire. You weren't quite Asian if you didn't have a countdown for DTF's opening day! Case in point: one of my friends tried several times to see if the restaurant was open yet, luckily she succeeded the 4th time!

DTF finally opened, quietly, last Saturday. By Sunday, the lines to get a table at the restaurant were 2 hours long. I visited on Wednesday afternoon. Arriving at 4pm, I still had to wait 30 minutes for a table during non-dinner hours. However, the wait was due to short staffing rather than too many customers. When my friends and I finally were seated, I looked around, and barely half the tables were filled. It took 20 minutes and me flagging down a waitress before we got waters and some attention. Quite strange, since there seemed to be plenty of servers and waiters and waitresses bustling around. The menu looked delicious- literally! Each dish had an accompanying picture, probably for the sake of the non-Chinese who might wonder at "juicy pork dumplings" or "vermicelli soup with fried tofu."

Not sure on the quantities, or how much the 3 of us girls could eat, we aimed conservatively first. Soon after we ordered, 2.... trays (for the lack of a better word) of xiao long baos arrived. Each were bite-sized, and filled with warm (not hot) meat juices. We carefully peeled the little dumplings off the plate, gingerly to avoid break the thin outer layer and risk spilling the precious soup. The pork dumplings were as anticipated, absolutely delicious! Each order came with 10 dumplings, and I was pretty sure I had more than 10 that evening! The shrimp and pork wontons were amazing, definitely vying with the soup dumplings for a place in my heart! The tiny bit of spiciness in the sauce was perfect. The outer skin was chewy with... bounciness. Next came the hot and sour soup and pork chop. I was not too impressed with the soup, despite my friend raving about it. I thought it was decent, a little too sour and not enough spiciness. And this is coming from me, an absolute wimp about spiciness! (I order "mild" or 1-2 stars at Thai restaurants, for reference.) I would probably pass on the soup next time. The pork chop order was one battered piece of pork, fried golden. I only had a taste of it (my mouth was too busy stuffed with XLB), and it was good. "Good" meaning: "I think I can do better than that!" My mom's pork chop is definitely just as good, if not better than DTF's. By the time our 4th person arrived, the 3 of us girls had polished off 2 trays of XLB, a medium order of hot and sour soup, a pork chop, and an order of wontons (9 pieces). We were more than game to order again. More XLB soon arrived, as well as shumai. The pork and shrimp shumai was decent, but I preferred the XLB. We also indulged in dessert. We were told the restaurant was out of red bean, which made up almost the entire dessert menu, so we opted for taro dumplings. At first, I wasn't too sure about the dessert menu at a Chinese restaurant, but DTF surprised me. Each dumpling was filled with sweet taro filling, and the outer skin was thin and chewy. I loved it! I would definitely order it again next time!

However, for all of the awesomeness of DTF, I also had some complaints. The slowness of getting seats (during off-hours) and slowness of the staff were detractions, especially since I was already salivating at the thought of XLB in class 3 hours ago! Also, the restaurant seemed to be "out" of every other thing on the menu! We were told at least 3 items we had planned to order was not available. For a restaurant with a pretty small menu list, this definitely limits the options. Lastly, prepare to open your wallet if you go to DTF! The damage for the 4 of us was collectively $100+. Plus tip and tax, I easily spent over $30 for the meal. I was pretty full when we left, but probably could have had a couple more XLB, especially since they're so tiny! DTF is well-worth it for special occasions, but I probably can't go as much as I would like to! I can't wait to take my brother there!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars


Juicy Pork Dumplings aka Xiao Long Bao


Wontons

Hot and Sour Soup

Shrimp and Pork Shumai

Taro Dumplings

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Birthday Party Madness

When did getting together with friends become so difficult? Oh right, when everyone has a different schedule and can't make the designated date/time, but have ideas on how to change the before-mentioned date/time to one they can make.

Last 24 hours of birthday hell plays out like this: PM can't make Thursday dinner with Group 1 friends, because of work, and asks to move Group 1 birthday dinner to Wednesday night. Except Birthday Girl L cannot make Wed. night because of pre-arranged plans with Group 2 friends. Then Tuesday night, all hell breaks loose. L has a change-of-heart (plus a little too much sugar), and really would like to include PM in birthday dinner (L feels especially guilty because PM got L a delicious birthday present). L tries to swap dinner times for Group 1 and Group 2. Group 2 seems amiable to switching, especially since no one has been rsvp-ing (Group 1 = flakes and "maybe" people). Group 2 is willing to switch to having dinner on Thursday. L calls up Group 1 people and tries to confirm the swap (Thursday dinner really is a Wednesday dinner, you following?). Most Group 1 people are fine with the switch, except MT drags her feet and keeps saying "I'll get back to you." L is frantic, since MM and AT are waiting for L's response. L calls MT multiple times, and gets a "hold on" each time. Finally, MT tells that she does not want to switch dates because sis GT cannot make Wednesday, but can make Thursday. L's plans hang in limbo, because she was already almost-confirmed the switch to MM and AT. L calls up MM frantically, to say: JK, no switch in date. And re-emails everyone that date/time remains the same, no change. L realizes she can't make everyone in the world happy, and if she really tries, L just ends up unhappy herself.

Next day, no on in Group 2 seems to be able to make the Wednesday dinner, which was hinted at and emailed out almost a week ago. Turns out many Group 2 people have meetings at the set time, and want to push back the time. L is in no mood to compromise. TL wants to go, but bf EH can't make it till 5pm, and wants to push the even back. FR asks whether other people can attend, and insinuates they were forgotten from the guest list, even though he is not for-sure attending. AT and L are enraged. L finally realizes she does not care if it's not a big party with lots of people, because, in reality, these people are not attending for her. They keep changing their minds and can't give a solid yes or no response. L decides to not rely on others and do things herself.

"Dangit, I'm going to get my XLB at DTF at 4pm, whether you can make it or not!"

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Reckless or Brave?

While waiting for the bus in downtown Seattle today, I asked myself whether I was brave or being reckless? It was dark around 5:30pm when I left work, and the area where I catch the bus home is pretty sketchy. I waited about 15 minutes for the bus. I figured, there were still quite a few people around, I couldn't get mugged or attacked, right? Yet, while I was waiting, an older lady in a wheelchair stopped beside me at the bus stop and mumbled, "It is scary here!" Her statement made me analyze my situation a bit more closely.

I bus from Harborview to James and 3rd. The stop at Harborview is relatively safe, since it is directly across from the ER and there are always security and police officers stationed at the entrance of the ER. I then transfer downtown. Usually, during the weekdays, buses run very frequently, so I never end up waiting more than 10 minutes for a bus to Lake City. However, Saturdays, only one bus goes to my home and it runs only twice an hour. I waited for about 15-20 minutes today. There were some dim street lights, however, James and 3rd is definitely not comparable to the bustle and crowds of people in the downtown shopping district a few blocks north. Across the street from the bus stop is a Saigon pho place, and today there was a homeless guy camped out in the doorway, trying to stay dry. I saw a few homeless people pushing carts and garbage bags walking around. As I shivered in the cold while waiting for the bus, I can't believe some people don't have a dry, warm place to go home to. It really made me grateful for the basic things in life that I often take for granted. I'm always yearning for more cooking utensils or a nicer appliances, just more stuff in general. Yet, some people don't even have shelter or regular meals.

During the summer, when I bussed more often, I saw more... colorful characters while waiting for the bus. People shouting and cussing, at everyone and anyone who walked past. An angry, obese woman in a wheelchair particularly stuck out- she was yelling and cursing on the street corner. Pedestrians generally skittered on by, avoiding her, keeping eyes straight ahead.

So far, I have not been approached by anyone. I haven't seen an muggings or any criminal activity. When I stood waiting for the bus today, I didn't feel serious danger. I am thinking about getting pepper spray, just in case, you know. My two roommates from college both carried pepper spray just to walk in the U-district. I'll need to know how to use pepper spray first... I don't want it ending up being a weapon against myself.

Well, I got home safely, so maybe downtown Seattle is not too dangerous after all. Or, God has been keeping me safe all this time.

Friday, November 12, 2010

Upcoming Cooking Endeavors & Refusing to be the Only Grown-Up Around

I'm tired of being the only grown-up around. Worrying about cleaning, money, time. I feel like I'm always doing what I "should" be doing, rather than what I "want" to do. Even simple chores, even if I enjoy cleaning, I feel like I end up being the only one who does them. Anyways, enough whining. I just need to start having a backbone and refuse to do all the work all the time.

Here are the next 5 recipes I intend to use (or re-use). I dug around my "recipe box" (my online account at AllRecipes), and found these that I want to use!

1. Apple Crisp- perfect since I'm too lazy to make pie crust but it's apple season!
2. Teriyaki Chicken- I actually made this one time 2 years ago, and it was a hit! I want to try it again with the frozen chicken breasts I have in my freezer.
3. Naan- I may have to wait on this one... till the holidays when I'm at my parents' house to take advantage of their bread machine.
4. Homemade Clam Chowder- enough said.
5. Stuffed Mushrooms- I have a great spinach recipe for stuffed mushrooms that I've used numerous times... but I want to try other fillings. I just love the idea of hors d'oeuvre- small, bite-size eats.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Sushi Hand Rolls

I love sushi. It may be the one food that I can eat everyday and never get tired of! Homemade sushi can be just as delicious as sushi in restaurants.

Hand Rolls

2 cups rice (long-grained)
4-5 tbsp. sushi vinegar (basically a white vinegar and sugar mixture)

Sheets of sushi seaweed, roasted (nori)
Cucumbers, cut into strips
Avocado, sliced and sprinkled with lime juice to prevent browning
Apples, cut into strips and sprinkled with lime juice to prevent browning
Cooked large shrimp
Imitation crab meat mixture
Egg omelet, sliced into strips
Yellow radish, cut into strips

  1. Wash and drain rice. Add 2 cups of water to rice (1:1 ratio of cups of uncooked rice and cups of water). Cook rice in rice cooker.
  2. After rice has cooked, transfer rice to large bowl to cool. Add sushi vinegar to rice and mix well. Cool rice before using. 
  3. Assembly: Each person can make their own hand rolls to their own specifications. Spread sushi rice on 1/3 of nori, and place toppings on rice. Roll into cone or into long roll. 

*************************************************
This recipe isn't very "recipe" like, because it has so many variations depending on each person's preference. However, I usually am a very meticulous step-by-step, recipe follower, so when recipes say "to taste" or do not give specific quantities of ingredients, I get lost.  

Therefore, for reference, this is what I usually do: (but feel free to experiment on your own!)

Crab Meat Mixture (pictured below)
  1. Usually I use about 4-6 oz of chunked imitation crab meat. Defrost the imitation crab meat using the microwave, drain if necessary. Roughly chop into smaller pieces. 
  2. In a bowl, mix imitation crab meat with 1/3 - 1/2 cup mayo (use more or less depending on how creamy you want the mixture to be). Add Sriracha sauce- a little goes a long ways! If you do not eat spicy (like me), just add a squirt (about 1 tsp.) of the sauce. 
Shrimp
  1. I use frozen, shell-on, raw medium-sized shrimp. Place shrimp in bowl, and microwave for 3-4 minutes, until shrimp is pink. Drain shrimp, and peel off shell. 
Egg Omelet
  1. Beat 2 eggs in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add 2 tbsp milk. 
  2. Heat oil on non-stick pan on medium-high. Pour egg mixture into pan, and let the liquid set (bottom turns lighter/white). Flip egg pancake over. Cook till egg is no longer runny. 
  3. Remove egg omelet from stove, and cut into strips. 
Spam Musubi (pictured below)
  1. Cut spam into strips. Marinade spam with equal parts of soy sauce and hoisin sauce for 10-15 minutes. 
  2. In a large pan, heat 2 tbsp of oil. Cook strips about 1-2 minutes per side, until slightly charred. 


In picture: spam musubi, imitation crab mixture, avocado slices, cucumbers, yellow radish


Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Banana Bread

I don't like to eat bananas. Something about the soft, gooey texture sliding down my throat stimulates my gag reflex. Which is why I always end up with lots of browning bananas around the kitchen. However, I love rotten bananas! They are perfect for banana bread! After my midterm today, I felt free as a bird and decided to break out the baker in me. I haven't baked for so long, and I missed it! I have two banana bread recipes I like to use. One is for banana muffins with a crumbly, streusel topping, but the one I made today was the traditional loaf bread exploding with banana flavor.

Banana Bread

2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
Dash of salt
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 cups mashed banana
2 eggs

2 tbsp. white sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon


  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease 9x5 loaf pan. Combine white sugar and cinnamon, and lightly dust bottom and sides of greased pan. 
  2. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in large bowl. Beat butter and brown sugar together in separate bowl. Add bananas and eggs to butter mixture and mix well. Gently mix liquid and flour mixtures together. Do not overmix. 
  3. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 60 - 65 minutes. Bread is done with toothpick inserted into center of loaf comes out clean. 
I love the smell of banana bread baking in the oven. Baking is such a rewarding experience, because there's a sweet reward at the very end! 

One tip: if you don't have time to bake banana bread and your bananas are already turning to mush, unpeel the bananas, place them in a ziplock, and freeze them till needed. It's great because then you always have bananas on-hand when you have the craving for banana bread! 

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Psalms 23

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.
He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows.
Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Biscotti

To say I've been preoccupied lately would be an understatement. But, I feel like a new beginning and a new food post is needed! I haven't made anything for a while, basically subsisting on leftovers. I also haven't been eating regularly... but that will change! This is a cookie recipe I have used quite a few times. It's a favorite of my parents, which is saying a lot, because they don't usually like sweets!

Biscotti

1/4 c. olive oil
3/4 c. white sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 eggs
1 3/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 - 1 cup dried fruit (cranberries, chopped apricots, etc.)
1 - 1 1/2 cup chopped nuts (almond, pecan, pistachio, etc.)

  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F
  2. In a large bowl, mix oil and sugar until well blended. Add in vanilla and almond extracts. Beat in eggs. 
  3. Combine flour, salt, and baking powder, then stir into liquid mixture. Stir in dried fruit and nuts by hand. 
  4. On a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper or greased aluminum foil, form two logs*. 
  5. Bake for 35 minutes in preheated oven, or until logs are light brown. 
  6. Remove from oven and cool logs for 10 minutes. Then slice logs into 3/4 inch wide bars. 
  7. Place logs on their side, and bake at 275 degrees F for 8 to 10 minutes, until cookies are dry.
* A note on the "logs"- the first time I made biscotti, I had no idea what "form into logs" meant. Basically, you want to pat the sticky dough into two rectangular prism. I usually form "logs" with the following approximate dimensions: 4 inches wide and 1 inch thick, and length can be variable, whatever fits on your cookie sheet. Another tip when forming logs is to wet your hands with cold water before handling the dough. The dough is very sticky. When the dough starts to stick to your hands, re-dip hands in water. 

I love this biscotti recipe because: 1) there is no butter involved, so it's a healthier cookie but still has great taste, 2) there are lots of different combinations of nuts and fruit and other fillings to experiment with (chocolate chips, lemon zest, Heath bar chunks, etc.), and 3) these cookies keep very well. While cookies are always best fresh out of the oven, these biscotti cookies are really amazing even a few days afterwards. I usually take a couple to school the next day after baking, and they brighten my day up! 


Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower

When my mom gifted me with a head of cauliflower a few weeks ago, I wasn't too sure what to do. I never used to love cauliflower when my mom would steam it for dinner. It was always predictable and boring. However, this recipe has turned me into a true cauliflower lover. It's super simple (takes minutes to prepare), which gives it bonus points with me. And it tastes delicious!

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower

1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
2 tbsp garlic, minced
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
Grated Parmesan cheese

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Toss cauliflower with olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Transfer to oven-safe baking dish and cover dish with foil.
  3. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Sprinkle grated cheese on top before serving. 

I served this to my friend for dinner, and she suggested adding other toppings, such as crumbled bacon bits. I think that would be a fantastic addition- who doesn't love bacon? A simple mess-free, easy clean-up way of tossing the cauliflower with olive oil, etc. is to use a large plastic zip-lock bag. Just add all the ingredients in, and shake the bag to coat the cauliflower. Best part is... you can simply toss the zip-lock bag afterwards! Experiment and enjoy!

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Legit Chicken Katsu

This is a delicious, simple katsu recipe! My friend Ann shared it with me, and it tastes just like the restaurant version! 

Chicken Katsu

Chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
Egg, beaten
1/3 amount flour and 2/3 amount panko
Frying oil
Bulldog katsu sauce for dipping

1. Pound the chicken breasts with a meat mallet. Generously salt and pepper both sides of each chicken breast. 
2. Dip each breast in the egg mixture, then dredge each breast in the flour/panko mixture. Coat thoroughly. 
3. Heat frying oil in nonstick pan. Once oil is hot, place chicken breasts in oil. Flip breasts over halfway through and cook until there is no pink in the middle of the chicken. Cooking time may vary depending on thickness of chicken breast. 
4. Enjoy with katsu sauce over rice.

When I made this at home, I used peanut oil, which supposedly is healthier when frying. I used enough oil to cover the chicken breast when placed in the pan. Tongs are handy when placing and turning the chicken in the hot oil! Also, I used a paper towel to soak up any excess oil after pulling the chicken out the oil. 

The katsu sauce (shown below) is amazing; it tastes very similar to the sauce at Ichi Bento's! I was able find it at a local Asian store. 

BullDog Tonkatsu Sauce 10.1 oz